Call for the Saint

In a discussion with his old friend Italian Vice Premier Giuseppe Saragat, Florence's cheerful, chirpy little Mayor Giorgio La Pira once argued that bankers should divide their funds with the poor. "They would go to prison," replied Socialist Saragat. Christian Democrat La Pira, whom Florentines sometimes call "the Saint," shook his head. "Oh, no," said he, "they would go to Paradise."

In the five years since he wrested control of the Florence city government from the Communists, Sicilian-born Giorgio La Pira has conscientiously followed this simple approach to public problems and private funds. With a cheerful disregard for legality, the onetime professor of Roman law has seized bankrupt factories to prevent dismissal of their employees, requisitioned private dwellings to house the poor and financed public works so expensive that they have exhausted Florence's legal borrowing power until the year 2000.

The national leadership of the Christian Democrats, and their coalition partner the Liberals, shudder at La Pira's wild economic theories, but in last May's Italian municipal elections La Pira's Christian Democratic ticket won the biggest vote (101,000) ever given a single party in Florentine history. Unfortunately, despite this heavy vote, the Christian Democrats did not win a clear majority in the city council, which elects Florence's mayors.

No Collaboration. By itself, La Pira's party had only 25 out of 60 council seats while a left-wing coalition (Communist, Nenni Socialist and four independent Marxists) held 27. Left-wingers crowed that La Pira could stay in office only by accepting Communist support, thereby beginning Italy's first conspicuous "collaboration between Catholicism and Marxism," which Christian Democratic national headquarters steadfastly opposes. This La Pira flatly refused to do.

As throngs of tense Florentines jammed their way into the city hall's "Room of the 500"to watch the voting, La Pira unconcernedly told the council: "If you elect me I will take it as the will of God and, although fatigued, return to work. If you don't elect me I will also take it as the will of God -- in many ways better for me -- and vote myself instead to repose, meditation, study and prayer."

No Majority. With the battle lines thus clearly drawn, the voting began. On the first four ballots, La Pira ran consistently two or three votes behind his Communist-line opponent, but neither candidate got the necessary absolute majority of 31 votes. Finally came the crucial fifth ballot when, by Italian law, the candidate with the most votes wins whether or not he has an absolute majority. Intently the tight-packed crowd listened as the clerk called out the results: blank ballots--6; Nenni Socialist Raffaello Ramat--27; La Pira--27.

For a moment the crowd remained silent in confusion. Then a few quickwitted Christian Democrats began to cheer. They remembered a queer quirk in the Italian electoral law: in case of tie votes, the older man is chosen. And 52-year-old La Pira happens to be 18 months older than Socialist Ramat.

Bouncing up and around the great council table, exuberant Giorgio La Pira embraced Ramat and everyone else within reach. But later, as he walked home through the darkness toward his monkish cell in a bare top-floor room in Florence's Sisters of Charity hospital. La Pira's head was bowed. Crossing the vast, splendid Piazza della Signoria he came upon an old pupil, linked arms with him and said quietly: "I'm tired. You know, I was really hoping God would let me lose."

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